The present arrangement relates generally to drawers, shelves, trays, and the like, for supporting and retaining articles for storage and readily accessible use. More particularly, the present invention relates to drawers for use with enclosures wherein the vertical dimension of the enclosure is greater than the vertical dimension of the access opening to the enclosure, such that there is extra vertical storage space than the opening to itself indicate. Still further, the present invention relates to drawers for use with exteriorly accessible storage spaces in vehicles bodies, such as with motor homes and towed recreational vehicles.
Drawers (meaning generically, drawers, trays, shelves, and other movable surfaces which support and retain articles) are typically movable between open and closed positions. In an open position, drawers typically extend outward from a housing and give access to the articles within the drawer. In a closed position, drawers typically are retained within an enclosure of the housing, where access to the articles is restricted. A support structure for the drawer is mounted between the housing and the drawer to guide the drawer in its motion between open and closed positions. Some drawers include a front face mounted thereto which acts as an exterior face to the housing. Alternatively, some housings include one or more doors, separately mounted from the drawer, to cover an opening that gives access to the enclosure and the drawer(s) mounted therein. With the latter structures, when the door is opened, the drawer is then available to be pulled outward through the enclosure opening. These latter structures are commonly used with vehicles, wherein an exterior sidewall of the vehicle has an access door which can open to a storage enclosure, with drawer(s) or the like therein.
Typically, it is desirable for a drawer to be able to extend out of its enclosure to expose the entire inventory of articles it contains, rendering those articles most easily accessible, when the drawer is fully opened. Alternatively, full exposure of the load surface of the drawer can allow the users to most easily place articles on the drawer for storage. Prior drawers have sought to accomplished this by having, for example, telescopic guide rails or tracks attached to the sides of the drawer and to the support structure inside of the enclosure. As those drawers are pulled open, the individual rails move with respect to one another and telescope outwardly to support the drawer in a cantilevered connection to the housing. However, such telescopic guide rails are relatively expensive and are vulnerable to contact with dirt, debris, snow, and water which can jam and/or rust the mechanism and prevent closure and/or proper operation of the drawer, particularly when the guide rails are used outdoors. In addition, certain telescopic rails of that type can add significantly to the overall width of the drawer. Also, where the drawer must be pulled through the housing opening, any extra width of the drawer due to side-mounted guide rails will decrease the area of the load surface available for the drawer. Further, telescopic guide rails of this type typically permit motion of the drawer only in horizontal directions.
Often storage enclosures, such as those formed in the exterior of a motor home or travel trailer, have greater vertical dimension than the door used to provide access to that enclosure. Therefore, drawers mounted in such housings to move only horizontally either cannot move through the door, if the full vertical height is be utilized by the drawer load surface, or cannot utilize the full vertical height of the enclosure, if the drawer is mounted to move through the door. Further, if the drawer is mounted to move through the door, using guide rails which permit only horizontal motion necessitates the drawer blocking a portion of the door opening. Thus, the size of articles which may be stored in the enclosure is reduced even further than the door dimensions, by the reduced door clearance caused by the drawer.
It has been suggested to create drawers which move vertically within a housing, but these can require the use of more complex spring, pneumatic, or hydraulic systems to assist the vertical motion. Further, prior vertical drawer arrangements may not provide the fullest amount of horizontal extension desired for use with a separate enclosure door. In addition, prior vertical drawer arrangements may not be sufficiently sturdy to support the drawer and its contents reliably during travel of a vehicle. Motor homes, in particular, can be subject to significant road vibration and jostling of cargo, particularly when being driven over unpaved roads and trails.
It has also been suggested to create drawers which can be pivoted at one end to move up and down as an incline to give access to the drawer contents within the enclosure. Again, these may not be able to provide as much convenient access as drawers which can extend substantially outward through the housing door. Further, such drawers may not be as easy to manipulate to the closed or raised position as a horizontally movable door, at least without the extra cost and structure of lift assisting elements. Also, vehicular vibration and jostling during travel may require the addition of substantial locking and/or latching mechanisms to enable these inclined drawers to properly secure their contends during travel.
In general, when storing items in a drawer for vehicular travel, it has been found advantageous to secure the drawer at its horizontal extremities in order to obtain the most support of the load surface. In contrast, securing the drawer in a manner that is more cantilevered with respect to the support structure permits the ends of the drawer to experience greater vibration during travel, especially when heavier articles are placed at the drawer ends. However, with prior arrangements, securing the drawer at its horizontal extremities has been found to limit the extent of travel that a drawer can provide out of the enclosure opening. Thus, while some prior drawers are more secure for travel, they do so at the expense of user ease and accessibility when the vehicle is stopped, and retained articles and cargo are then needed by the user.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved drawer arrangements, particularly for use with storage enclosures and vehicles. Other objects are the provision of drawer arrangements that are:                economical to manufacture, install, and maintain in good working order,        reliable over long periods of time and when used in exterior environments,        easy to use in terms of accessibility and operation,        minimal in weight and complexity in use,        retrofitable to existing storage enclosures,        suitable for vehicular use,        able to securely maintain significant loads therein,        able to maximize utilization of storage enclosures,        able to maximize door clearance,        able to partially or wholly hide stored articles from view when the door to the enclosure is open, and        maximize the size of articles which may be stored in the drawer and/or in the storage enclosure area.        
These and other objects of the present invention are obtained by the provision of drawer arrangements including a drawer connected to a support structure having three guides for the path of the drawer between open and closed positions, at least two of which are operational at any given position of the drawer, as it moves both horizontally and vertically between different locations. In a closed position, the drawer is supported near its horizontal extremities and rests in a position that resists horizontal motion. In fully extended open positions, the drawer is supported in a cantilevered manner from the support structure. Intermediate the fully closed and fully extended positions, the drawer is supported in inclined positions which provide access to contents therein. The present invention also includes mounting structure which facilitates connection at a variety of locations under the floor of a motor home or travel trailer, with exterior accessibility.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following drawings and more detailed description of preferred embodiments.